Heat
by Stun04
Summary: Jate fluff Oneshot A sudden heat wave hits the island and someone is going to get sick.


Ok well it's a little over a hundred degrees where I live which is sadly normal for July and August, come winter I'll be telling you how its ten below zero and that is normal as well J so anyway I just got to thinking about the heat and this little fic popped in my head. So please do what you do best and read and review! Oh yeah Shannon's alive and Michael isn't evil.

**HEAT**

The minute Jack Shephard opened his eyes he knew he was in for a long day. It was sweltering hot and it was only six in the morning, meaning by afternoon time it was going to be unbearable. He sat up and groaned as he felt the sweat drip down his back, if it was this hot in the cool confines of the caves he hated to imagine how the beach was. He rubbed his eyes and forced himself to wake up fully. He was going to have to get water down to the beach and remind everyone there and at the caves to drink an obscene amount of water. He got up and quietly headed for the stream grabbing bottles on his way. The way it felt Jack figured today would be the hottest day so far on the island. He hoped it would be the last as well. High temperatures were dangerous in a civilized world but here on the island with no air conditioning and not the best shelters today was an accident waiting to happen. As he walked across the caves he saw Claire walking and singing softly to Aaron.

"Hey Claire" he said in a hushed voice. Claire looked up and gave him a smile.

"Hi Jack, we didn't wake you did we?" she looked at him concerned. Aaron had woken up early and fussy this morning.

"No" Jack said with a smile. "The stifling heat was what did it. How's he feeling?" Jack nodded to the infant.

"He's ok, just woke up in a bad mood is all. I think the heat is annoying him." she said with a grin.

"I don't blame him." Jack said with a chuckle. "Make sure you drink lots of water today ok, and consider hanging out at the hatch today. This kind of heat isn't real good for the little guy."

"Already done" Claire said. "I ran into Locke about a half hour ago, I think he's trying to get some of the older people and those of us who just had babies, down into the hatch to stay out of the heat. I fee bad because not all of us can fit down there."

"It'll be ok as long as everyone who stays up here drinks lots of water and stays out of the sun should be alright. Let's hope it starts cooling off soon though." Jack gave her a pat on the shoulder and went to the stream to start filling bottles. He managed to fill most of them quickly and started down towards the beach. He could feel the sweat pouring off of him and he reminded himself to drink some water himself when he gets to the beach. As he came out onto the sandy shore he noticed some people up and about. The first person he saw was Sayid. He walked over and handed his friend a bottle of water.

"Thanks Jack" Sayid said holding the bottle to his forehead.

"No problem, just make sure you drink as much as you can and I'll be around to refill more bottles. Everyone needs to keep hydrated." Jack said as he began to head down the beach.

"I'll make sure I pass the word" Sayid called out with a wave. Jack spent the next hour walking the beach and handing out water. Most of the beach dwellers were actually heading towards the caves to spend the day and that helped Jack out immensely at least they would be near the fresh water stream and able to get to the water easier than waiting for a delivery. He also sent some of the people to the hatch, like Rose and Bernard and other elderly people who could be affected by the heat. He also sent Shannon down because of her asthma. He met up with Michael who was with Walt and Vincent.

"Hey Jack, you look hot you should take a break" Michael said with a grin.

"Yeah I'm about finished here so I'll be heading to the hatch and then back to the caves. It seems most people have abandoned the beach so I'm happy I won't have to make too many trips back and forth for water runs." Jack said.

"That's where we're headed now." Michael said gesturing to Walt. "The poor dog is too hot to even play today"

Jack grinned, "Well just make sure you keep drinking water" he said playfully rubbing top on the top of Walt's head. "That goes for you too Vincent." The dog barked at the doctor as if in understanding and Walt grinned.

Jack turned and scanned the beach; there were only a few people left he sighed when he thought of one of them. He walked over to Sawyer's shelter and was surprised to see the man heading out with a backpack. Before he could say anything Sawyer held his hand up.

"Don't even have to say it Doc I'm headed to the caves now" Sawyer said and Jack gave him a strange look at how mellow and peaceable Sawyer was acting. Sawyer noticed the look and sighed, "It's too dam hot to be sarcastic Doc, I'll see ya around" with that Sawyer headed to the jungle entrance. Jack chuckled and shook his head ruefully; sometimes Sawyer completely threw him for a loop.

He looked down and saw Kate heading his direction; he walked towards her and met her halfway.

"Hey you headed for the caves?" Jack asked giving the brunette a small smile. It was amazing how even though he saw her everyday she got more and more beautiful every time he sees her.

Kate smiled up at the handsome doctor, "Actually I'm stopping off at the hatch, Locke told me Claire was there so I thought I'd stop in and see how she's doing. What about you?" Kate asked.

"Well as soon as I'm finished here I'll be stopping at the hatch so maybe I'll see you." He smiled shyly at her and Kate couldn't help the butterflies that jumped in her stomach. Lately she and Jack had been spending more and more time together. A couple times they had gone on walks and even held hands. Kate, who was normally cautious and wary at the idea of a relationship, couldn't help but get caught up in it. She was looking forward to their relationship progressing. She reached up and stroked his arm playfully.

"If you're coming to the hatch you better look for me" she teased and Jack grinned. Their flirting had increased as well. Jack sighed he was looking forward to getting off the hot beach and heading towards the hatch as it was. He looked up and noticed Kate looking at him thoughtfully.

"What?" he asked curiously.

Kate shook her head slightly, "Nothing, you just look tired, hurry up down here and get to the hatch. I'll be waiting for you will a tall glass of ice water." She leaned up and kissed him gently on the cheek and squeezed his arm. "Bye" she said softly.

"Bye" Jack said. That was the first time she had ever done that, and Jack could honestly say he was enjoying the change in their relationship.

He glanced down the beach and saw Hurley and Charlie. They caught up to him within minutes.

"Hey Jack" Charlie said smiling at the doctor.

"Hey guys, you headed off the beach?" Jack asked. He rubbed his eyes, he wondered if he looked as tired to Kate as he was feeling. He hadn't slept much as usual and this heat wasn't helping. He opened his bag and rooted for a bottle of water cursing himself for never stopping to take the much needed break he should have to hydrate himself.

"Yeah Dude, we're leaving now, we managed to get everyone off the beach so it's just us three." Hurley said.

Dammit, Jack thought to himself, he had given the last water bottle away. Oh well he would just have to find Kate and her ice water when he got to the hatch.

"Good" he said to the two men. "I don't know about you but I'm reading to get off this damn beach" Jack said putting his bag back on. Hurley and Charlie readily agreed and they made their journey into the jungle. "You guys been drinking water?" he asked.

Charlie mock saluted, "Aye Aye Captain." and Jack gave a small smile. He stumbled over a root but managed to not trip too badly.

"You ok Jack?" Hurley asked.

Jack looked at him for a second, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just didn't see that root back there." Jack said waving his hand and Hurley nodded and they kept walking. Jack felt like he was literally baking. The jungle canopy blocked the sun but the heat and humidity were still thick in the jungle air. He was looking towards the trail when his vision blurred slightly. He rubbed his eyes and opened them and they were clear again. He really needed to get some water into him. He looked over and noticed Charlie and Hurley were both looking at him expectantly.

"Seriously man are you ok?" Hurley asked concerned for his friend.

Jack gave them a questioning look, "What's wrong?"

"Jack you look like death warmed over and you just stumbled again except there's no root this time." Charlie said looking at Jack closely.

"Yeah I'm fine guys. It's just the heat as soon as I get to the hatch I'll be fine." Jack said sounding confident. Charlie and Hurley exchanged a skeptical glance but kept on going. Suddenly they heard a thump and they turned to see Jack lying faced down on the ground.

"Oh my god Jack!" exclaimed Charlie as he and Hurley ran to the fallen man's side. They shook him but he wasn't waking up.

"He's breathing" Hurley said watching as Jack's chest expanded with air. "We need to get him to the hatch now though." Charlie agreed and they gently lifted Jack to his feet and Charlie helped as Hurley slung Jack over his shoulder. They headed towards the hatch as quickly as they could.

In the hatch about twenty people had come in to cool off. Space was tight but not unbearable and people spread out all over including the hallways. Sun, Kate, Shannon and Claire had managed to set up in the corner of the living room and were laughing and joking. Most of the teasing was aimed at Kate and her budding relationship with Jack.

"Have you kissed him yet?" Shannon asked with a wicked smile, she loved good gossip.

Kate blushed, "No we haven't kissed yet, but I really don't see how that's any of your business." She said with a giggle.

Claire's eyes widened, "You just said yet, you just said you haven't kissed Jack yet. Meaning there will be a kiss" Claire bubbled and the girls laughed as Kate grew even redder. She was about to reply when she heard a ruckus at the hatch entrance.

"Help we need help" Charlie called out as they entered. Kate's eyes followed to Hurley and the unconscious man he was carrying.

"Jack" she cried out and headed towards them immediately. "What happened?" she asked trying to look at him but it was hard with him being carried.

"I don't know" Hurley said "He started acting kind of strange and then boom just passed out."

"Let's get him to the bedroom" Sayid said approaching the group. Hurley carried Jack in and Kate was right on his heels. Soon Hurley with Charlie and Sayid's help got him situated on the bed. Sayid looked around at all the people gathered around quiet and frightened as their leader lay unconscious before them.

"Ok everyone" Sayid called out. "Jack needs his space so please go back to what you were doing. Hurley and Charlie walked out but Kate remained sitting on the bed at Jack's side. She wasn't going anywhere and Sayid knew better than to argue. He looked up and saw Sun at the entrance. He motioned for her to come in knowing she could possibly help. He closed the door behind her and quieted the crowd out.

Kate was looking at Jack concerned. "Jack, come on Jack wake up" she said softly and gently caressed his cheek. She gasped when she felt how hot his skin was. She looked at Sun panicked; "He's burning up, he has a fever we need to get him medication." she was close to hysterical. Sun moved over and looked at Jack closely.

"He does not have a fever, but has sun stroke" she said. "He's extremely dehydrated, we need to get him cooled down and make him drink water." She said examining the doctor.

"Are you sure?" Kate asked. Her brain felt muddied and she wasn't even sure what sun stroke was.

"Yes, he was out in the heat too long, his symptoms fit the weather today." Sun said nodding her head.

"Will he be ok?" Kate asked stroking his forehead.

"It is important we get him hydrated as soon as possible. In a hospital they would give him fluids through an IV. Since we do not have one we will have to get Jack awake and make him drink. It could be painful for him if his stomach cramps up but we have no choice." Kate frowned at the idea of Jack having to be in pain but if it would save him it would be worth it in the end.

"Sayid?" Sun asked. "Please go to the kitchen and fill a bowl with cool water, not too cold though and grab some towels and rags. We need to get his body cooled down." Sayid nodded and immediately headed out the door. He was aware of sun stroke and heat exhaustion from the sweltering desert heat in Iraq. He also knew it was imperative to get Jack's body cooled down otherwise he could have a stroke or his heart could give out. He wasn't going to state those concerns in front of Kate she was frazzled enough.

"Kate we need to get Jack undressed." Sun said and Kate nodded and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Shouldn't we put him in a cold shower or something?" she asked as she worked on the buttons. This was not how she imagined the first time undressing Jack would be.

"In a bit, we need to get him cooled in stages, if we put him in a cold shower right away it could send him into shock" Sun said untying Jack's shoes and pulling them and his socks off. Kate managed to lift him enough to peel his shirt off and she threw it into the corner. Her eyes traveled down and she realized she was going to have to unbutton his jeans. She blushed slightly as she undid the buttons and pulled his zipper down. No this was definitely not how she planned this experience to go. With Sun's help they managed to wiggle his jeans off and tossed them to the side.

"What about his boxers" Kate asked nervously. She knew she should be just concentrating on Jack's health but she couldn't help looking at his muscular and almost nude body with appreciation.

"No we can leave those on" Sun said with a small smile as she noticed Kate's blush. Sayid entered with the supplies Sun asked for as well as a jug of water and a cup. "Ok we need to soak the rags and place them on Jack's ankles, wrists, forehead and back of his neck." Sun said. The three went to work and place the cooling cloths against Jack's fevered skin. Kate stroked his cheek again and felt the emotions rage within her.

"I can't believe it" she muttered shaking her head. She noticed the other two people looking at her and she sighed. "The person to get sick from the heat is the person who was breaking his back today making sure people didn't get sick from the heat." She looked at him and felt the tears well in her eyes, "You idiot" she whispered affectionately. They rotated and re-wet his cloths for about twenty minutes when Sun looked at Sayid uncomfortably. He nodded and Sun looked at Kate.

"Kate we need to get him to wake up do you want to try to see if you can do it?" Sun asked hoping Jack would respond. Kate leaned up and shook Jack lightly.

"Come on Jack wake up for me. Please? Come on I need to see those beautiful eyes of yours. Wake up Jack" she said with a little more force shaking him harder. Unfortunately it wasn't working and Sun exchanged another glance with Sayid.

"Kate we need to wake him up and the only thing that we have right now that will help him is his own body's reaction to stimulation" Sayid said gently.

"Ok what do we do?" Kate asked she suddenly was feeling very nervous as to the mood in the bedroom.

"The best way to get him to respond is pain" Sayid said quietly and Kate's eyes widened slightly.

"What kind of pain?" she asked warily. She watched as Sayid pulled out one of Locke's hunting knives. Kate's eyes widened and she place herself in front of Jack. "Uh uh no way. There is no way in hell I'm letting you touch him with that knife." Kate said raising her chin defiantly.

"Kate, I'm only going to make a slight prick in his arm. It will only cause enough brain to bring him back to consciousness." Sayid said gently but Kate was having none of it. Too many things could go wrong.

"Let me try again" she said eying the knife warily. "Let me try to wake him up" Sayid nodded, though he would only be making the equivalent of a paper cut on Jack he hoped Kate's method would work.

Kate looked at Jack with concern as she sat on the bed looking at him. She reached out and stroked his cheek gently. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Come on Jack, wake up please? I know you're tired but I need your help, I need you Jack." She whispered and felt the tears well in her eyes. He had to wake up soon he needed the water badly. Kate laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, a few seconds later she felt a hand gently stroke her hair. She looked up and saw a weary and exhausted Jack looking back at her.

"Jack?" she whispered slightly awed.

Jack gave her a confused look as he saw her tear stained eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked his voice harsh and raspy.

Kate let out a laugh and hugged him tight. "Yes I'm fine, you big jerk. You're the one who passed out from the heat."

Jack slipped his arms around her enjoying the feel of her in his arms.

"Jack you need to drink this" he looked up to see Sun standing next to the bed with a smile on her face. She handed him a glass of water, as Kate helped him move to a sitting position braced by the pillows. "It's good to see you awake. You must keep hydrated and drink a lot of water."

Jack smiled, "I think you're a couple steps away from being a doctor yourself Sun" he said his voice still dry. Sun just rolled her eyes. She and Sayid decided to give the two a little time. Sun patted Kate on the shoulder.

"He has to drink all of this" she said pointing to the jug of water.

"Believe me he will." Kate said. Soon she and Jack were all alone. She turned to see Jack looking at the glass of water. She crawled up on the bed and sat next to him. She noticed he wasn't drinking. He looked up and saw her staring at him.

"I know I need to drink but the dehydration is telling me I'm not thirsty." He said. He sipped the water and started to set it down.

"Oh no you don't" Kate said forcefully. "You're going to drink that whole glass and after that you're going to drink another until this whole jug is gone."

Jack grimaced, what he wouldn't give for an IV full of fluids right now. He looked at Kate as if to argue but the stern look on her face shut him up. He figured the best way was just to chug it so that's what he did. The water wasn't too cold so he might be able to avoid getting stomach cramps. Kate watched with approval as he downed the water as soon as his glass she was finished she took it from him and refilled it. Jack sighed and drank it down. This went on for a little while in silence as Jack drank more and more water.

"Good boy" Kate said sweetly patting him on the head as he finished the last of the pitcher. He shot her a look but couldn't be too annoyed with her. Kate sat the glass down and turned back to meet his eyes. She placed her hand on is cheek and was relieved to feel his skin and cooled lightly since he had been brought in. She found herself getting lost in his gaze and found her self moving a little closer to him.

"I'm tired of you scaring me" she said softly. "I'm tired of needing wake up calls." Jack gave her a strange look so she went on. "I'm tired of watching you run yourself ragged, or digging you out of caves, or watching you get carried in unconscious. I'm tired of having to use those moments to show you I care." Kate said softly leaning in so her lips were just an inch away from his.

"What are you saying?" Jack asked.

"I want to show you how I feel all of the time" Kate said and with that she closed the distance and kissed him gently. It wasn't an earth shattering passion filled kiss, but the gentle and softness of it rocked Kate just the same. Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter as they sipped at one another's lips. The broke away gently and Kate smiled at Jack who was looking slightly stunned but happy. She wanted to continue this but she knew he needed to get better. She smiled to herself thinking of how it will be when he's well.

"Lay down" she said brushing her lips across his again.

"Uh what?" Jack asked and Kate realized how sensual her request must have sounded and she smiled.

"Lay down so I can put some cool rags on you while you take a nap." Kate said with a grin. She giggled when she saw a flash of disappointment go through his eyes. "Uh uh you're too sick for that, but the quicker you get better the quicker we can work on the progression of our relationship." She said gently stroking his chest. Jack smiled definitely liking the sound of that. He stretched out while Kate applied the cooling cloths on him. She was happy to see him fall back asleep and she watched him for a few minutes.

She got up and headed out the door to update Sun and Sayid on Jack's condition, she didn't plan on leaving his side for long. After she was done talking to them she looked over and saw Claire approaching with a sleeping Aaron.

"How is he?" Claire asked concerned.

"He's going to be ok." Kate said with a relieved smile, "He still needs to keep cool and keep drinking water but he's ok." Kate turned to walk back into the bedroom and she turned and called to Claire. "Oh Claire yet happened." With that she closed the door and left a beaming Claire behind.

Ok just a one shot but that doesn't mean you can't review J


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